November 19, 2007

Michalis Liapis, the Greek Minister of Culture has stated that his country supports the creation of a common European cultural agenda. A common agenda of this type would help to promote & facilitate co-operation between museums in member states.

Greek Culture Minister Mihalis Liapis on Friday said that Athens was in favour of creating a common European agenda for culture during his participation in a meeting of EU culture ministers held in Brussels.

In an announcement issued after the meeting, Liapis stressed that culture should be among the priorities of the European Union and be the object of a coordinated and joint policy by the 27 EU member-states.
Among proposals made by the Greek minister was creating a digital record of cultural assets and setting up a European communications network to promote cooperation and exchange of best practices, while he also highlighted the “economy of culture” and stressed the need to EU financial support small and middle-sized bodies engaging in cultural activities and were important in local communities.

Liapis additionally stressed the need to include training in the arts and culture at all levels of education and to promote vocational training courses for culture-sector professionals, in order to improve the human resources that would help culture and the artistic sector develop further.

A final reference was to the construction and operation of the New Acropolis Museum in Athens, which will henceforth house the antiquities from the Parthenon and other Acropolis monuments, with Liapis stressing that this form part of the framework for promoting European Cultural Heritage and inviting his counterparts to visit the Museum in the coming months.

On the sidelines of the ministers’ meeting, he met his French counterpart Christine Albanel to discuss the European Heritage Label and other issues.

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